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Life without Julius: Prestonwood searches for identity in wake of star forward's injury
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
Early in the second quarter of Tuesday's game against Plano East, the Panthers' student section showered a struggling Prestonwood Christian Academy boys basketball team with an undoubtedly frustrating chant.
"You need Julius!"
"You need Julius!"
"[Randle is] obviously irreplaceable," said Chris Mayberry, Prestonwood head coach. "We've just been continuing to try and figure out how we can be tougher as a team. ... I'm sure these kids want to, but they're just trying to figure out their new roles."
Randle, the No. 1-ranked player in the state according to Rivals.com, has been shelved for three weeks after fracturing his right foot in a Nov. 24 matchup against Duncanville at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest.
"I just went up after dribbling baseline," Randle said. "The defense collapsed on me and I jumped up to make a pass; it was kind of a freak thing."
So much so that his teammates didn't understand the accident's severity at first.
"When Julius got hurt, I didn't think it was anything bad," said Marquan Botley, senior guard. "I figured he was fine just like he always is. When I found out, it was like it was all a bad dream."
This came just three weeks after the Lions learned they would be without sophomore Mickey Mitchell (ACL), ranked No. 5 in the nation for the Class of 2015 by ESPN.
Needless to say, the Lions have been forced back to the drawing board a time or two.
Offensively, the dynamic changes almost entirely without Randle's 6-foot-9 frame and basketball IQ.
"[Randle is] kind of a point forward, so a lot of our stuff ran through him," Mayberry said. "He passes the ball as good as anybody on our team so we weren't just getting production from him on points and rebounds; he creates so many shots for his teammates.
"We're having to readjust on so many levels."
Botley's role has expanded more than anybody.
Despite entering his fourth varsity year at Prestonwood, the point guard has never been more than the team's third-leading scorer with a career-high of 10.7 points per game. Already seeing his scoring load increase in Mitchell's absence, Botley now finds himself as the centerpiece of the Lions' offense. That much was evident in the team's first game without Randle: an 82-66 loss to Woodrow Wilson where Botley scored 30.
"It's something I didn't have to do before and I'm still getting used to it," Botley said. "I also have to be more vocal. We have a lot of young guys on the team, so I guess they look up to (senior Chas Taylor) and I and follow our example."
Taylor averaged 1.9 points as a junior, but he's now among the most tenured of an attack that will be increasingly more reliant on 3-point shooting.
"I go from having to get a certain amount of points each game to having to get a lot more now," Taylor said. "The biggest difference is getting more shots up and being more consistent."
Defensively, the Lions will play a lot more zone due to lacking the overall size and athleticism of last year's squad. Without the 6-foot-9 Randle and 6-foot-7 Mitchell, Prestonwood's two tallest players (freshman Evan Peters and junior Jacob Mathes) are 6-foot-3.
There's also a heavy youth component on the squad.
Excluding Botley and Taylor, Prestonwood's remaining roster is made up of three freshmen, two sophomores and three juniors -- all making their varsity debuts with the Lions. Among those who have initially risen to the challenge are Peters and sophomore Shane Missimo, who have respectively averaged 15.2 and 15 points over Prestonwood's last five games.
The newest Lions have been getting tips from the veterans.
"We have a lot of younger guys, so it's just been about talking with them and letting them know I've been in their shoes before," Randle said. "I want to give them pointers and help them get more experience."
Results have been up and down, with Tuesday's 66-37 loss to East dropping the Lions to 4-6 overall. Things get to no easier beginning Tuesday when Prestonwood makes its annual trip to Fort Myers, Fla. for the City of Palms Classic.
"I just want us to compete," Mayberry said. "The talent is going to be outrageously in their favor but as long as we go out, play tough and work our hardest then I'll be fine."
It'll be Prestonwood's final tune-up before the TAPPS I-5A opener Jan. 4 at Argyle Liberty Christian.
While initial reports pegged Randle's injury as a three-month absence that could leave room for a return come playoff time, nothing is guaranteed on that front.
"I wouldn't put anything past [Randle], but obviously his future is very bright," Mayberry said. "There are going to be no chances taken with his future. I think he'll work very hard and we'll just have to see what happens."
For the time being, the Lions will continue to strive forward and shed what has all of a sudden become an underdog label.
"I feel like a lot of people checked us off when Julius got hurt," Botley said. "We just look at it as motivation that they shouldn't count us out yet. Everybody on our team is capable of winning games, so I feel like we'll take this as a chip on our shoulder to work harder."
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